The accredited technical expert and auctioneer Heike Koepchen loves her job. However, she is very sad to see family businesses becoming insolvent as a result of the economic crisis. Although she is in charge of an auctioneering business, she is a strong believer in trying to save companies which are in trouble.
Heike Koepchen, technical expert and accredited auctioneer is Managing Director of the Wuppertal firm of auctioneers Manfred and Heike Koepchen which now exists in the fifth generation. She was still young when her father Manfred taught her the business. “I learnt a lot from my father”, confesses the experienced businesswoman. He took her with him to customers and allowed her to carry out negotiations in order to enable her to get a feeling for business.
Today Heike Koepchen is an expert valuer for second-hand equipment from industry, trade, and households and is in addition an accredited auctioneer in this sector. She values businesses for receivers, for tax offices, banks or private customers and if it is not possible to continue the business, the result is an auction based on insolvency, collateral securities, or a voluntary decision.
“As I am officially appointed, I must announce these auctions in the local press and two weeks before the date of the auction I have to notify the Chamber of Commerce and the local authorities”, explains the auctioneer, describing the procedures she has to follow. In addition, she advertises in the trade press, sends e-mails, informs regular customers and puts the information into the internet.
Heike Koepchen loves her job.”It is very interesting and every day brings different challenges.” She is, however, disturbed by the current situation. “It sometimes breaks my heart when I see how family firms are dragged down by the crisis,” she says emotionally, not least because her home town of Wuppertal lies in the middle of a region which has always been characterised by family businesses. “Good and old-established firms are driven into insolvency simply because they have no more orders,” she says sadly. And it is exactly these family firms which in normal times create and offer jobs and apprenticeships. These firms are currently going under left and right. It is particularly unfortunate that there is no one who is prepared to invest, to take over firms in difficulty or simply to provide finance.
“Part of my job is carrying out valuations, and this is hard work”, explains Heike Koepchen,”and I believe in supporting the region where I am at home”. She prefers valuing rather than auctioning factory equipment and machines. Valuations do not necessarily lead to the demise of the company and loss of jobs. “I find it important that great efforts are made to keep a company in existence,” she says. All parties involved have to pull their weight, whether it be the banks, tax offices, health insurance companies or the receivers who are finally responsible for finding solutions.
About 95% of the turnover of her company, which carries out valuations and auctions, comes from industry and includes machine tools, wood.working machines, building plant, printing presses, injection moulding machines and vehicles. The market for these has changed radically. “For good machines we can only estimate and achieve half the price that would be possible in normal circumstances. Customers are only prepared to buy those items which they genuinely need or which extend their range. “I have to negotiate between three parties: The creditors want their money, the debtors want to be free of their debts and my customers want to buy or sell at an acceptable price. If the customer says:” It’s too expensive for me”, I must accept that.”
Dr. Rolf Langbein
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